WATCH: Connor Jennings fires Tranmere Rovers to promotion in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final
Connor Jennings’ extra-time strike secured Tranmere promotion after beating 10-man Newport 1-0 in the Sky Bet League Two play-off final.
The match looked like it was going to penalties until Jennings netted his 13th goal of the campaign, heading into an empty net after Jake Caprice’s dangerous cross in the dying moments.
It was bitterly disappointing for Newport, who were, in truth, the better side on the day but saw their hopes of winning dashed shortly before the end of regular time when Mark O’Brien was shown a second yellow card.
Jennings’ strike sealed a second successive promotion for Micky Mellon’s Rovers after their success from the National League in 17/18.
Newport will rue not taking their chances in the game, having failed to test Tranmere goalkeeper Scott Davies in a fairly dominant the first half.
It was, though, Tranmere's top goalscorer James Norwood who had the best chance of the first period, when he connected sweetly with a cross and his volley was brilliantly tipped away by Joe Day.
Newport kept up the momentum after the break and their best chance of the game fell to Matt, whose back-post header forced Davies into a reaction save, palming it onto his post as Tranmere were hanging by a thread.
The game-changing moment came in the 89th minute when Exiles captain Mark O’Brien was shown his second yellow card after cynically bringing Norwood down on the halfway line.
Norwood could then have won it in added time when he met a ball over the top and just had to guide it around Day, but his mishit shot was wide of the target.
The man advantage saw Tranmere get back into the game, dominating extra-time and the vital goal came with seconds to go to book their place in the third tier of English football for 2018/19.
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- Tranmere are the first side to win play-off finals in consecutive seasons in England’s top five tiers since Notts County did so in 1989-90 & 1990-91.
- Tranmere have won on consecutive visits to Wembley for the first time in their history, with this being their fourth win there in total.
- The team finishing sixth has won the fourth tier play-off final in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1987-1990, when four teams in a row finished sixth and won promotion to the third tier.
- Tranmere have beaten Newport in any competition for the first time since April 1988, having drawn three and lost one of their previous four such meetings with them since.
- Newport have now been defeated on three of their four visits to Wembley, also losing to York City in May 2012 and Tottenham Hotspur in February 2018 (both 0-2).
- Newport’s Mark O’Brien was the first player to be sent off in a League Two play-off final since Marc Tierney for Shrewsbury against Bristol Rovers in 2007.